BMTN Info

Oh crap! Million-gallon manure spill contained in SE Minnesota

As far as jobs go, this one sounds pretty, er … lousy: Cleaning up 1 million gallons of manure.

That’s what Minnesota Pollution Control Agency crews are doing in Fillmore County, according to KLXT-TV, a Fox affiliate in Rochester. The good news? The “massive manure spill near Canton seems to be contained” as of Saturday, reports the station.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin has the poop, reporting that the whole stink flared up when a 2.2-million gallon above-ground manure pit ruptured Sunday, with some 1 million gallons spilling into nearby waterways. The Post-Bulletin adds that the remaining manure in the pit has been removed.

MPCA officials took water samples from Donaldson Creek and Wisel Creek, a trout stream. Much of the manure went into a creek that feeds into the Root River, according the New Ulm Journal, but the MPCA reports no dead fish.

The paper also says the MPCA is investigating whether any charges should be filed against the owner, which would turn this fecal matter into a legal one.